Liquid proportioning device



Aug. 20, 1940. G. Louls LIQUID PROPORTIONING DEVICE Filed June 30, 1937 lR Y U O PW E m1.. N am mm@ n @l A BY @Q Patented Aug. 20, 1940 PATENT OFFICE LIQUID PROPORTIONING DEVICE George Louis, Fillmore, Calif., assigner to The Texas Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 30, 1937, Serial No. 151,315

6 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid proportioning devices and more particularly to a device for continuously treating one liquid such as naphtha with a proportionate amount of another liquid such as sulfuric acid. The primary object of the invention is the provision of a device which will operate entirely automatically and 'effectively in response to slight changes in the rate of flow of the liquid to be treated. Other objects are to provide such a device which will consist of but a few inexpensive parts and which will be self-cleaning.

Although several methods and types of apparatus have been used for proportioning liquids, most of these have disadvantages which render them unt for use where extreme accuracy is needed. The use of separate proportioning pumps driven from the same source or connected so that proportionate amounts of the liquids will be pumped is', of course, expensive in rst cost and also in upkeep since the many moving parts may easily Iget out of order. Most of the devices which depend upon a difference in specific gravity between the two liquids are delicate and difiicult to maintain in order.

In accordance with the present invention, the primary line, i. e., the pipe containing the liquid to be treated, is provided with an orifice dividing the line into an upstream side and a downstream side. The secondary line, i. e., the line supplying the treating liquid is connected to the downstream side of the primary line. A chambered vessel is connected in the secondary line and is provided with a float controlled'valve for maintaining substantially constant the level of the treating liquid in the vessel. It is understood that the treating liquid is of greater speciflc gravity than the liquid to be treated. The outlet for the treating liquid is dispos-ed at the bottom of the vessel and a conduit connects the top of the vessel with the upstream side of the primary line. The pressure in the vessel will thus be the same as that in the upstream side of the primary line, and differential pressure variations in the primary .line caused by varying rates of ow will thus be transmitted to the vessel, and proportionate amounts of the treating liquid will be forced from the vessel into the downstream side of the primary line in response to the then prevailing rate of flow through the primary line. -The vessel is preferably positioned at an elevation such that the liquid level or interface therein between the liquid to be treated and the heavier treating liquid is maintained at a point corresponding to the elevation of the center of the primary line.

For a better understanding of the invention. reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which I5v Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section showing an embodiment of the invention,'while Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Referring to the drawing, a primary liquid 10 line or conduit I0 through which iiows a liquid to be treated such as naphtha is provided with a suitable orifice plate I2. A secondary liquid line I4 for the treating liquid which may be sulfurie acid is connected through a sleeve valve I6 15 to .the interior of a chambered vessel I8, and the top of this vessel I8 is connected by means of conduit 20 to the upstream side of the pipe line I0. The bottom of the vessel I8 isl connected by means of a conduit or treating line 22 to the 2o downstream side of the pipe line I0 and in the conduit 22 is disposed a suitable orice plate '24. The valve I6 is in the form of a sleeve having oppositely disposed ports 26 and the sleeve is mounted for rotary or oscillatory movement on 25 a pipe extension 28. The extension 28 is suitably secured to one side wall of the vessel I8, as shown in Figure 2,V and is connected to the end of the acid supply conduit I4. A duo-gravity ball oat 30 is attached by means of rod 32 to the valve 30 sleeve I6 and is shown in the drawing as resting upon a suitable supporting post 34. The pipe extension 28 is also provided with oppositely disposed ports 35 and the device is arranged so that when the float 30 is in its' lowermost posias tion, as shown in the drawing, the port 26 and 3B will be completely aligned or, in other words, the valve will be in its full open position. A plate or cover 38 suitably secured over an opening in the opposite side wall of the vessel I8 serves to ,w afford access to the valve I 6 and its associated structure. A ring member d!) is secured to the outer end of the pipe extension 28 by means of suitable set screws for maintaining the valve sleeve IS in proper position.

In operation, the lower portion of the vessel I8 will contain the treating liquid such as acid and the remainder or upper portion will contain the liquid to be treated, such as naphtha. The acid and naphtha'having diierent specic gravities 50 will remain in the lower and upper portions, respectively, of the vessel I8, and the vessel is preferably disposed at a height such that the acidnaphtha level or interface Will be maintained by the neat-controlled valve I6 at a point cor- 55 responding to the elevation oi' the center of the naphtha line I0. As the rate of ow of the naphtha through the line III fluctuates, the diiferential pressures at opposite sides of the orifice plate I2 will be exerted through the conduits 20 and 22, and the variations in pressure thus exerted in the upper portion of the vessel I8 will cause corresponding variations in the amount of acid ilowing out of the lower portion of the vessel through the conduit 22 and orifice 24. Thus, in case the rateof iiow of naphtha through the line I should increase a higher pressure will be exerted through the conduit 20, and this pressure acting through the naphtha in the upper part of the vessel I8 will cause a proportionately greater amount of acid to ow out of the vessel through the conduit 22, past theorice plate 24 and into the downstream side of the line I0. As the acid flows out of the vessel I8 the float 30 will fall, thus extent, allowing more acid to enter the vessel whereupon the oat will again rise to a point substantially midway between the top and bottom of the vessel. 'I'he position of the interface of the acid-naphtha level will then remain constant until the next fluctuation in the rate of ilow of the naphtha through the line lll.-

It will be seen that the proportioner has but one moving part and cost of maintaining the device is therefore very low. When it is desired to clean the vessel I8 it is merely necessary to close a valve, not shown, in the acid supply line Illr whereupon the acid'in the chamber will be displaced by naphtha entering through conduit 20 and which will flow through the vessel and outwardly through the conduit 22.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination ply line containing with a primary liquid supan oriiice plate, and a secondary liquid supply line, said secondary line,

connected to said primary line at the downstream side of said plate ary line being of greater specific gravity than the liquid in said primary line, aproportioning device in said secondary line comprising a closed, chambered vessel, a valve for controlling the amount of secondary liquid passing into said vessel, a connection between the top of said vessel and the upstream side of said orifice for maintaining the pressure in saidvessel equal tol the pressure in the upstream side of said primary line, and means in said Vessel for controlling said valve, said means comprising a duo-gravity float responsive to the level of the interface between the primary and secondary liquids in said vessel.

2. In combination with a primary liquid line and a secondary liquid line, the liquid in said secondary line being of greater specific gravity than that in said primary line, anl orifice plate in said primary line, said secondary line being connected to said primary line at the downstream side of said orice, a closed, chambered Vessel connected in said secondary line, a conduit connecting the top of said vessel with the upstream side of said primary line, a' valve in said vessel at the inlet of said secondary line to said vessel, and a duogravity float for controlling said valve, said float being responsive to the level of the interface between said primary said vessel.

opening the valve 26 to a greater.

and the liquid insaid secondline being provided with an and said secondary liquids in of the line containing' vessel, said treating liqsaid primary line, a conduit connecting the top of said vessel with the upstream side of said primary line, a valve in said vessel at the point of inlet of said treating liquid and a duo-gravity float connected to open and close said valve in accordance with the fall and rise respectively of the level of the treating liquid in said vessel.y

A4. In combination with .a primary liquid supply line containing an ondary liquid line, said secondary line connected to said primary line at the downstream side of said plate and the liquid in said secondary line being of greater specific gravity than the liquid in said primary line, means for supplying said secondary liquid to said primary line in a predetermined proportion comprising a closed, chambered vessel connected in said secondary line, the portion of the secondary line which is connected to said primary line being connected to the lower part of said vessel and containing an orifice plate, means connecting the upper part of said vessel with the upstream side of said primary line so that variations in pressure in said primary line will cause proportionate amounts of said secondary liquid to flow from said vessel into said primary line, and means for maintaining the level of secondary liquid in said vessel substantially constant comprising a valve in the secondary liquid inlet to said vessel and a duo-gravity i'loat connected to open or close said valve in accordance with the fall or rise respectively of the secondary liquid level in said vessel.'

5. A device for continuously adding in a predetermined proportion a treating liquid to a liquid to be treated comprising, in combination with a liquid line containing a liquid to be treated, said orice plate dividing it into upstrea and downstream closed, chambered vessel disposed at substantially the same elevation as said liquid line, a treating liquid supply line'connected to said vessel, said treating liquid being of greater specic gravity than the liquid to be treated, a conduit connected to the bottom of said vessel and to the downstream side of said first mentioned liquid line, a conduit connecting the upstream side of said liquid line with the upper portion of said vessel for maintaining the pressure in said vessel the same as that in the upstream side of said rst mentioned liquid line, means for maintaining a predetermined amount of treating liquid in said Vessel comprising a valve in the treating liquid supply line to said vessel and a duo-gravity float connected to actuate said valve in accordance with the position of the liquid interface in said vessel between the treating liquid and the liquid supplied to the upper portion of said Vessel through said last mentioned conduit.

6. A device for continuously adding in a predetermined proportion a secondary liquid to a primary liquid comprising, in combination with a primary liquid supply line containing an orice plate, and a secondary liquidline also containing an orice plate, said secondary line connected orifice plate, and a secsides, a

10 of said vessel and the upstream side of said rst named orifice plate for maintaining equal pressures in the upper part of said vessel and in the upstream side of said primary line, and a duogravity float in said vessel connected to actuate said valve in accordance with the position of th=l liquid interface in said vessel, the arrangement being such that differential pressure changes in said primary line will cause corresponding pressure changes in said vessel to increase or decrease the ow of secondary liquid from said vessel into the downstream side of said primary line, said oat actuating said valve to maintain constant the amount of secondary liquid in said 10 vessel.

GEORGE LOUIS. 

